Hello Tail-blazers,

We are officially in our final 7 days of this campaign. I'd like it to go on forever (especially because I have an appontment I'm not looking forward to scheduled right after it ends!) but we do have to finish up so the team can get on with the work of turning the manuscript into an actual PDF and PoD book.

So, over the next week I'll be sharing a handful of instruction and review-type posts about Reward Tiers & Add Ons, Stretch Goal reviews, and What Comes Next, so if you've got any process questions or are wondering about how the Crowdfunding steps work, I'm hoping to clarify any remaining questions before we finish. Of course, if you're still wondering about something, please ask and I'll help as best I can.

Are you ever really sure what time it is in the dark passages of the Underneath? Maybe we can sneak down another tunnel or two and make the campaign last.. just ... a little... longer. It's called "OVERTIME MODE" and it allows us to keep the campaign rolling as long as backers are pledging.

Overtime Mode

Overtime Mode extends the campaign past its original end time to give backers a final chance to make their pledge and adds an interesting twist to the end of the campaign. How long will it extend? That’s entirely up to backers: The campaign will keep going for an additional 10 minutes as long as pledges keep coming in – a chain of back-to-back pledges is called the Barker... err... Backer Train. The campaign will end only when the Backer Train stops after a period of 10 minutes passing without any pledges.

You’ll know we’re in Overtime Mode when the campaign’s Backer Train counter displays a bright rainbow border and a new countdown that resets to 10 minutes after each new backer joins that final Backer Train ride.

So, we've scheduled the campaign to conclude on August 13th at 2:00 pm Eeastern Time, but it'll be extended in 10 minute chunks as long as backers keep pledging. Will we add an extra 10 minutes? An extra 20? Or will it all finish up as we programmed? Who knows, but we'll find out together! Mice Unite!

I know, this is something I've already said many times (and seem to say during every project!), but for this final week, you are officially a Realms of Pugmire recruiter. It's time to share your excitement for Lair of the Rat Kings. Basically, we want to recruit as many curious backers as possible to see how long we can keep our Barker Train running over this final week.

I know I've ended many update posts with "Keep spreading the word! Invite others to join in!" - but what does that mean, and how do you do it?

Easy answer - don't stop talking about Lair of the Rat Kings until 2:01 PM Eastern next Thursday August 13th  (and then as long as we continue running in Overtime Mode). Yes, family and friends are tired of me talking about it. But what else have I got to talk about? The state of the world? That gets a little depressing fairly quickly. And -  they've learned to tolerate me during a crowdfunding campaign. But here's the thing - there are others around who haven't heard or don't know about the campaign.

We all know this project is quirky and niche - it's player options/setting supplement/adventure tools for the Realms of Pugmire game - focusing on the world of the rodents. This book covers a lot of different ideas and topics, and surely something in there will be interesting to potential backers! Yet those barkers haven't yet heard about this campaign and would love to join in. We're right in the middle of relentless news and events so it's not surprising that new backers are just finding out about the campaign every day. If you have an opportunity to let someone know, please do and let's make sure they have a chance to join in before the end.

For me, one of my main ways of coping with these exhausting times is to dive into a game world with my friends. Reading the Lair of the Rat Kings manuscript has been a much-needed escape over the past weeks, and my friends and I will absolutely be designing our own mice as part of our self-care in the future.

So, let's help out our awesome TTRPG fans and make sure that we've spread the word as best we can and everyone has an opportunity to participate in this campaign!

If you're inviting new backers, or if you are a new backer (hi new backers!), here are a few key resources to be aware of for this campaign.

Backers are able to review the (soon-to-be) complete manuscript for this book before the campaign closes and any pledges are processed. With the exception of the Set Pieces section from chapter 5 coming on Tuesday (the actual Lairs of the Rat Kings that give the book it's title!), the entirety of the rules and options from this book are available for download and review by backers, along with all of the setting information for this fuzzy and fascinating world.

Anyone who pledges to this campaign before the end can read the entire book now AND provide feedback directly to the developers to help guide the manuscript through the final phases of development and editing!

And, if you join now, as I've noted, we'll be posting the final section of the book next week before we reach the finish line. 

I love that you can read the manuscript before any pledges are processed or payments collected. But sometimes you still want more info about the book. Well... podcast time! The folks over at A Bunch of Gamers have two episodes all about our Rat Kings!

Eddy's episode talks about narrative dungeon crawling, how Psionics work, and of course, several tangents! 
Travis' episode talks about choices made regarding the relationship between the Cult of Labo Tor and psionics, design choices on narrative dungeons, and more!

Give 'em a listen when you can!

The other fun way to learn about this setting is to read some of the in-game fiction that fleshes it all out! Two new stories have been shared as part of this campaign (and will be incorporated into the final book). Check them out:

The Discord is particularly lively and fun, but you might be able to gain further insight and some in-depth conversation at any of these Onyx Path discussion zones:

1) Don't forget to share a link to the Crowdfunding page in any discussion you have (where appropriate) - and feel free to pass any of the long list of links above to those who may need more info (or, just point them to this post!)

2) Don't forget to tell us about any post or review or discussion you write! Come to the comments section and let us know so we can all go and contribute! I know I keep saying it, but really - these last days are key. Keep the enthusiasm high and keep on inviting others to join in, either directly ("Come see...") or just by setting an example of your enthusiasm and interest.

Final Week

We've got one week to go, everyone! Thank you all so much for your support! We work together because it's the right thing to do, and because backers make it better! Let's finish strong! And let's continue exploring this amazingly furry and fabulous setting together, sharing our feedback with the writers and delving into the draft manuscript, and let's see if we can't get another Stretch Goal before we review next Wednesday!

At $8,000 in Funding - LAIR OF THE RAT KINGS MAP UPGRADE III